


One Pure, Loving Sacrifice

by rainbowsandsilverlinings



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: AU, But its different, Halloween 1981, I think its pretty good maybe you should read it, Lily Evans Potter Lives, beware the angst, idk how ao3 tags work but i tried
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-04
Updated: 2019-11-04
Packaged: 2021-01-22 13:48:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21303089
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rainbowsandsilverlinings/pseuds/rainbowsandsilverlinings
Summary: A different way October 31st, 1981 might have gone. Or: Lily lives.
Relationships: James Potter/Lily Evans Potter
Comments: 2
Kudos: 25





	One Pure, Loving Sacrifice

**Author's Note:**

> Idk maybe I'll write some more of this. It was just a brain idea to post for Halloween but then I thought it was actually a cool idea and now I want to read more of it... So I might write it so it exists.
> 
> This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Harry Potter world, which is trademarked by J. K. Rowling. Text in italics is borrowed from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows which is trademarked by J.K. Rowling. This work is for entertainment purposes only and the author is not profiting from it.

_“Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off-”_

She couldn’t hear any words after that, Lily ran on pure instinct, snatching her beautiful baby boy and sprinting up the stairs and through the nursery door without a glance backwards. Depositing Harry into the crib, Lily gripped the frame for just a moment to compose herself before reaching for her wand. There were protective wards on the nursery door, but they had to be activated with a simple spell.

No.

Her eyes closed in horror when she felt only fabric, no trace of willow.

“Gween!” Lily heard from behind her and her eyes snapped open again in time to see the fading outline of green residual magic, almost a halo around the closed door.

Hearing the following thud made her chest feel like it might cave in. A wave of grief physically pushed her backward, leaving her leaning against Harry’s crib, struggling to breathe.

She had a strange metallic taste in her mouth, it was almost like magic, magic so powerful she could almost bite through it. She was probably imagining it, but she could have sworn she almost felt a hand brush her cheek.

She didn’t have time. There had to be a way to get them out of here, maybe she could make an emergency portkey wandlessly, or—

The door blew off its hinges.

_“Not Harry, not Harry, please not Harry!”_

_“Stand aside, you silly girl . . . stand aside now.”_

_“Not Harry, please no, take me, kill me instead—”_

_“This is my last warning—”_

_“Not Harry! Please . . . have mercy . . . have mercy. . . . Not Harry! Not Harry! Please— I’ll do anything— ”_

_“Stand aside. Stand aside, girl!” _

Something moved Lily, it felt as though a firm shove had pushed her a few inches to her right, but it had been enough, just enough. The intense magic of the Killing Curse just brushed a few strands of Lily’s hair, but the proximity of that raw power was enough to throw her violently into the armoire.

* * *

She only barely had time to raise her head and begin to reach desperately towards what remained of her family before another intense green light overwhelmed the room.

Only this time, as the magic began to fade a burst of golden, raw, energy burst from the fading green. It would have been beautiful if it hadn’t been terrifying.

Lily was already unconscious as the armoire collapsed on top of her.

* * *

Harry was crying.

“James, gerroff me. I’ll go get him.” Lily tried to turn slightly and push her sleeping, dead weight of a husband off of her, but James hadn’t just rolled over and thrown his arm over her this time, his whole body weight was on top of her. Merlin he was so heavy.

“Harry? Oh, Merlin Harry! Come here, up you come Prongslet. Oh, Merlin. Your alright.”

What was Sirius doing here? Lily let out a little grunt of frustration at James, who was just not budging. He has a lot of practice sleeping through Sirius’s outbursts Lily supposed.

“Who's there?” Sirius must have heard her shifting because she could hear him shift Harry to his other side and unsheath his wand wearily.

Confused, Lily finally opened her eyes, not to find herself in her bed underneath her lump of a husband, but rather on the floor underneath splinters of wood mixed with baby clothes. “Siri-” her voice hitched with apain she hadn’t even processed yet.

“Bloody shit balls, Lily is that you? Merlin’s- ah damn. Hang on, Lils.”

Lily grunted in response but it was all she could do now that she was aware of her situation to just breathe and try to push back something terrible that her brain wanted to remember.

“Wingardium Leviosa”

She hadn’t realized how difficult it was to breathe until the heavy wood was lifted off of her chest.

“Merlin, Lils. What happened? How did you...”

Sirius kept talking, asking, pressing in on Lily’s consciousness but there was something her brain was trying to tell her. “Sirius, where’s James?” Lily cut in suddenly. Something was telling her that she had to find him, and quickly.

Sirius stopped suddenly. “Lily, I-” his voice broke and he just stared at her for a moment.

Frustrated, she moved to sit up “Sirius I need you to tell me-” she was cut off by sharp pain in her side that made her vision swim in front of her face and Sirius’ hand on her shoulder, keeping her static.

“Lily, don’t move, I don’t know if-”

Lily’s voice rose, “Sirius Orion Black you tell me right now what has happened to my husband.”

“He’s dead!” Sirius finally yelled.

“No,” she whispered as a flash of green shaded her memory. But it couldn’t be true he couldn’t be-... “James, no.”

“He’s dea-" Sirius's voice broke, "I’m so sorry Lily, I should have-... I just can’t.” Sirius exhaled audibly, nearly a sob and Lily’s heart sunk even further into her stomach.

Sirius’s grip on Harry tightened and he seemed to compose himself for the moment, “Lily we need to get out of here, I don’t think the structure is stable. Do you think you can portkey?”

Lily whispered again, “James.”

“Shit. I’ve got to get you to Mungo’s. We’ll have to risk it.” There was a pause, “Portus,” and a stuffed dog of Harry’s glowed blue.

“Hold on to me, Lily. Ready? 3, 2, 1.” And the three of them were whisked away.


End file.
